Maximum concentration, molarity, of Carbonic Acid ?

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SUMMARY

The maximum concentration of carbonic acid (H2CO3) in moles per liter at standard temperature and pressure (STP) is not a fixed value, as it is influenced by the partial pressure of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2). The equilibrium reaction H2O + CO2 <-> H2CO3 does not provide a straightforward measurement, as the concentration of carbonic acid cannot be directly determined without considering the dissociation into bicarbonate (HCO3-) and hydrogen ions (H+). Therefore, the concentration of carbonic acid is contingent upon the equilibrium state of the overall reaction.

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  • Knowledge of gas solubility and partial pressures
  • Familiarity with acid-base chemistry, particularly carbonic acid dissociation
  • Basic concepts of molarity and concentration calculations
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What is the maximum concentration, Moles/liter, possible for one liter of
H2CO3 at STP.
And how is that calculated ?
 
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morrobay said:
What is the maximum concentration, Moles/liter, possible for one liter of
H2CO3 at STP.
And how is that calculated ?

First of all - maximum concentration doesn't depend on the volume, it will be the same in gallon and in a drop.

Second - this is very ambiguous question. STP doesn't define partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and that's what concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide will depend on. That's the easy part, but it not giving the answer.

Then, even knowing concentration of carbon dioxide, we don't know concentration of carbonic acid, as we can't easily measure equilibrium of the reaction

H2O + CO2 <-> H2CO3

instead we can measure equilibrium of the overall process yielding dissociated HCO3- and H+:

H2O + CO2 <-> HCO3- + H+

but that again doesn't answer the question.
 

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